A landmark project to restore a neglected early 17th century house in Monmouthshire has received a boost with a visit from the area's local MP.
Grade II-listed Caerwent House in the village of Caerwent, near Caldicot, is in the process of being restored by the Spitalfields Trust.
During a tour, Monmouth MP David Davies expressed his support for the project and his admiration for the work of the trust.
Caerwent House dates from the early 17th century and was remodelled and extended in the early 19th century. It stands on the remains of a Roman Forum, a scheduled monument. The Spitalfields Trust has spent three years carefully restoring the building to create two new homes to be sold later this year.
On seeing the building nearing completion, Mr Davies said: "This wonderful 17th century building was sadly falling into disrepair and would soon have been lost.
"I commend the Spitalfields Trust for returning Caerwent House to its former glory but in a way that means people will be able to live and breathe new life into it.
"A rare Grade II-listed building with such history overlooking the village’s Roman ruins deserves to be looked after and restored. It has now a bright future for generations to come.”
In 2017, much of the building had reached a point of near collapse and was in desperate need of repair. Monmouthshire County Council compulsorily purchased the house and passed it to the Spitalfields Trust for repair and conversion to two houses.
Heloise Palin, administrator for the Spitalfields Trust, added: “We were so pleased to be able to show David Davies around our project.
"He was impressed by the high quality of workmanship and recognised how attractive the new homes will be. He was also pleased to see we use local tradespeople in our projects.”
The Spitalfields Trust is a small building preservation trust and charity which operates throughout England and Wales. It takes on buildings in need of extensive repair work, restores them and sells them as homes. Any profits are used for the next repair project.
Founded in 1977 in London by a group of journalists and architectural historians brought together in the campaign to save the early Georgian houses of Spitalfields from demolition, the trust has gone on to restore over 50 buildings.